TDU Chapter 486
Chapter 486 Probe
Song Seven lowered his head, waiting quietly for what felt like an eternity.
By his calculations, it should take only five turns for everyone to reach room {Sixteen}, and by now, they ought to have escaped.
Yet it was already the sixth turn.
It had been ages since the {Participant}’s turn began…were they still making their moves?
“Something’s not right…” Song Seven muttered, turning in the room and peering through the wall toward room {Sixteen}. “What exactly is happening?”
He lowered his head again, running his fingers through his hair, and a realization struck him.
They had made it to the last room, yet the game had not ended… implying they had not escaped. Either a trap somewhere along the way had delayed them, or the exit doors were simply impossible to open.
‘It seems the {Closing-door Disciple} truly plays a pivotal role…’ Song Seven pushed all his tousled hair back with both hands, tying it into a half ponytail with the elastic on his wrist to expose his broad forehead. He rolled up the sleeves of his leather jacket and loosened the zipper at his chest, adopting the posture of someone fully preparing for battle.
Though he didn’t know exactly what had gone wrong, Song Seven had a strong feeling that his confrontation with Terrestrial Rabbit was drawing near.
‘Take as long as you need to explore… I’ll handle the rest.’
“All {participants} have completed their actions. {Earthly Branch}, please proceed.”
Two seconds later, the door in front of Song Seven swung open. Terrestrial Rabbit stood on the other side, wearing a cold, mocking smile. The two faced each other in silence.
“Do you still not understand?” Terrestrial Rabbit asked. “As long as you keep me locked in here, this game will never end.”
“Is that so?” Song Seven nodded, bending down to pick up a small stone from the floor. “What’s happening on their side isn’t my concern. I act only on the Captain’s instructions. If he tells me to close the door, I close it. If he tells me to open it, I open it. And if he tells me to confront you head-on, then I’ll confront you head-on.”
As he spoke, Song Seven rubbed the small stone between his thumb and fingers.
“How obstinate,” Terrestrial Rabbit chuckled. “Now do you see how ridiculous {Closing-door Disciples} are? You actually thought you could defeat me in my {Penglai} game with such a crude tactic… Even if someone does manage to escape in the end, your side will suffer heavy casualties. Such is a Rabbit’s {Escape Game}.”
“And if we suffer heavy casualties…” Song Seven asked calmly, “…what about you?”
“What?”
A faint smile curled at the corner of Song Seven’s mouth. He flicked his wrist and casually tossed the small stone upward through the doorway.
Seeing the man throw the stone with such confidence, Terrestrial Rabbit immediately sensed danger. He leapt back several steps, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
What was about to unfold?
Does this man have an offensive {Reverberation}?
Flames? A gale? Loss of gravity?
However, the tiny stone merely fell to the ground, bounced twice before coming to rest—absolutely nothing occurred.
“Apoliges,” Song Seven said, shaking his head. “It was just some harmless teasing, no need to react so strongly.”
“You…” Terrestrial Rabbit slowly furrowed his brow. “Were making a fool of me?”
“Consider it a warning,” Song Seven remarked with a cold laugh. “But I’m quite curious… why did you suddenly take several steps back?”
“I—”
“Though you appear cautious, I sense a flaw,” Song Seven continued, stepping to the side to pick up another small stone. “What are you afraid of? Did my earlier remark about {tearing off one of your arms} really get under your skin?”
Only now did Terrestrial Rabbit realize that the team before him was no ordinary bunch. He had assumed the two assigned to {Closing-door} duties would be mere dead weight, yet one was audaciously fearless, and the other surprisingly intelligent.
“That was a matter spoken of quietly in another room… how could you know it?” Song Seven pressed on, unsparing. “You didn’t cheat, did you?”
“At this point… the charade has lost its purpose.” Terrestrial Rabbit’s ears flicked as he addressed Song Seven. “Do you know how many times stronger a rabbit’s hearing is compared to a human’s? Distance is irrelevant. Forget a single room. Even in what you call room {Sixteen}, the instant anyone there speaks, every move they make falls fully within my grasp.”
“Oh…?” Song Seven furrowed his brow slightly at this revelation. He had suspected Terrestrial Rabbit might be eavesdropping, but never imagined his hearing could extend so far.
Besides, this can no longer be called eavesdropping, it’s perfectly aboveboard listening.
“You fools, thinking your absurd strategies could let you escape my slaughter…how laughable,” Terrestrial Rabbit’s eyes traced Song Seven’s ready stance, and began undoing the cuff of his suit jacket. “It won’t be long before you let me out on your own accord. That’s when the killing will truly begin.”
“Alright,” Song Seven nodded. “At that moment, I hope you’ll spare no effort. I wish to see what a formidable {Earthly Branch} is truly capable of.”
Though he spoke boldly, Song Seven’s heart still thumped with unease.
With Terrestrial Rabbit’s dreadful acuity, every word of their planning had been laid bare. {Strategy} no longer held sway; their only remaining path was a fair and direct confrontation with this {Earthly Branch}.
Once Terrestrial Rabbit’s turn ended, Song Seven reached out and closed the door again and secured the lock.
The following rounds unfolded much like before. Each {participant} turn dragged on far longer than previous, and Song Seven found himself increasingly anxious over what plans they might be concocting.
Yet Terrestrial Rabbit made no move to reopen the door to his own room; he had likely gone to confront Jiang Ten.
Around thirty minutes had gone by when the distant tolls of {bells} drifted through the building. Evidently, the other teams were fully immersed in their game, and many {Reverberatees} were beginning to awaken.
Four rounds later, the sound of a door opening echoed inside Song Seven’s room. He assumed it was Terrestrial Rabbit, yet to his surprise, it was the door on his left that swung open.
“Eh…?”
All of his teammates were standing in the room to his left, room {Six}. Chen Junnan pushed open his own door, while Cui Fourteen opened Jiang Ten’s door.
“Well I’ll be!” Chen Junnan arched his brows theatrically when he saw Song Seven. “Why, isn’t this Xiao Song? What a coincidence. Fancy meeting you here, playing the same game, are we?”
Song Seven frowned, slowly raising a finger to his lips. He shot the group a meaningful look. “What are you doing here?”
“What’s with that look?” Chen Junnan blinked back exaggeratedly. “Xiao Song, come over. We’ve got a new strategy to brief you on.”
Then, he turned toward Jiang Ten’s direction. “Kid, scoot over too. This young master’s got new assignments for you both.”
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
